The Scientist
Willie Nelson Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Come up to meet you, tell you I'm sorry,
Don't know how lovely you are.
I had to find you, tell you I need you,
And tell you I set you apart.

Tell me your secrets and ask me your questions,
Oh, let's go back to the start.
Running in circles, coming up tails,
Heads are a science apart.

Nobody said it was easy,
And it's such a shame for us to part.
Nobody said it was easy,
No one ever said it would be this hard,
Oh take me back to the start.

I was just guessing at numbers and figures,
Pulling your puzzles apart.
Questions of science, science and progress,
Don't speak as loud as my heart.

Tell me you love me, come back and haunt me,
Oh when I rush to the start.
Running in circles, chasing tails,
Come back as we are.

Nobody said it was easy,
It's such a shame for us to part.
Nobody said it was easy,
No one ever said it would be so hard.

I'm going back to the start.

Oh, ooooo,
Ah, ooooo,




Oh, ooooo,
Oh, ooooo

Overall Meaning

Willie Nelson's cover of "The Scientist" perfectly captures the melancholic essence of the song. The lyrics open with a lament for lost time and opportunities. The singer acknowledges that they have been distant with their significant other and did not fully appreciate their value until after they were gone. They are desperate to make things right and to express their love but are unsure of how to do so. The line "Tell me your secrets and ask me your questions" is a plea for vulnerability, for the opportunity to be closer to the person they've been neglecting. The chorus emphasizes that the singer understands that relationships are hard work, and expresses a desire to go back to a time when they were at their strongest.


The second verse continues the science metaphor, describing the difficulties of parsing out someone's personality and motives. The line "Questions of science, science and progress, don't speak as loud as my heart" underscores that for all our understanding of the world, sometimes we can't help what we feel. The singer wants to hear that their love is reciprocated, even if the other person has moved on. The chorus repeats, with the singer admitting that relationships are often fraught with hardship and that they are willing to put in the effort to make things work. The last line of the song, "I'm going back to the start," suggests that the singer is committed to rebuilding their relationship and starting over.


Overall, "The Scientist" is a poignant exploration of love and regret. It speaks to the universal experience of losing sight of what really matters, and the difficulty of repair after things have gone wrong. The repetition of the chorus underscores the pain of separation and reasserts the singer's determination to rebuild what was lost.


Line by Line Meaning

Come up to meet you, tell you I'm sorry,
I want to meet you and apologize for whatever I have done wrong.


Don't know how lovely you are.
I didn't realize how wonderful you are until now.


I had to find you, tell you I need you,
I had to search for you to let you know I need you.


And tell you I set you apart.
I want you to know that you are special and different from everyone else.


Tell me your secrets and ask me your questions,
Please share your secrets with me and ask me anything you want to know.


Oh, let's go back to the start.
Let's start over from the beginning.


Running in circles, coming up tails,
I keep moving in circles and things are not going my way.


Heads are a science apart.
Our heads seem to be in different places and we are not on the same page.


Nobody said it was easy,
This is not an easy situation.


And it's such a shame for us to part.
It's terrible that we have to seperate.


No one ever said it would be this hard,
I didn't expect things to be this difficult and painful.


Oh take me back to the start.
I wish we could go back to the beginning and make things right.


I was just guessing at numbers and figures,
I was only making guesses and assumptions.


Pulling your puzzles apart.
Trying to understand and figure you out.


Questions of science, science and progress,
I have been focused on science and knowledge.


Don't speak as loud as my heart.
But my emotions and feelings are even more prominent for me.


Tell me you love me, come back and haunt me,
I want you to tell me you love me so badly that I'll even accept it from your ghost.


Oh when I rush to the start.
I want to go back to the beginning so badly that I'll rush there.


Come back as we are.
Let's start again from where we left off.


I'm going back to the start.
I'm going back to the beginning to make things right.




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Christopher Anthony John Martin, Guy Rupert Berryman, Jonathan Mark Buckland, William Champion

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found
Comments from YouTube:

@flickmonger87

Between Johnny Cash covering Hurt and Willie Nelson covering this, we need to make old country legends covering songs across genres a thing.

@oneslikeme

YES we do!!

@campingintheforest_

Certainly.

@cheetos_and_kilos

Amen!! 💯💯💯

@Stellra52

Loretta Lynn does a great duet with Jack White from the White Stripes called Portland. More modern and up-tempo then this, but still on theme.

46 More Replies...

@TheTamsicles

The pain and the wisdom in his voice. You can feel it. That’s what makes it so special. Imperfectly perfect.

@elkeklein

This version of 'The Scientist' is undoubtedly one of my favourite songs in the world. Words fail me. Hauntingly beautiful!

@brynicecream5824

I feel the same. I remember hearing it the first time. I was in Pittsburgh and it played on the radio. It captured my heart instantly. Years later, my divorce is final and the song brings me such peace. The story of life. The story of self ♥️

@robbiefrentz9427

Perfectly said

@su5119

"haunting" is the correct word.

More Comments

More Versions